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US-based supplier of microinverter-based solar and battery systems, Enphase, has commercialized its software-enabled energy management feature, PowerMatch. It is aimed at North American, Central American, and Caribbean prosumers seeking to optimize battery system efficiency.
Compatible with the company’s IQ Battery 10C and IQ Battery 5P systems, it optimizes conversion efficiency, typically during low-load discharging. A hybrid storage system’s maximum efficiency rating assumes full-load conditions; however, due to supply-demand mismatches during periods of low consumer demand, its efficiency is drastically reduced, leading to charge wastage. In turn, it increases battery temperature, which affects its long-term health.
The company pitches PowerMatch as a solution addressing this limitation by combining its distributed battery architecture with multiple embedded microinverters, compared with conventional single-inverter-based products. This feature enables the system to automatically engage and disengage the required number of microinverters in real time based on demand. This helps the system maintain a proper balance between supply and demand, even in low-load conditions. It also results in savings as the energy that would have been wasted in conventional storage systems at low load is stored for later use. Jeremy Truitt, field engineer at Lighthouse Solar, an installer of Enphase’s products in the US, summarized this whole process. He said, “PowerMatch reduces standby energy consumption by operating just the microinverters that best match the home's power needs at any given time. This helps minimize standby energy use while keeping the system ready for a backup event.”
Regarding home battery systems, the IQ Battery 10C, featuring both 240 V and 120 V microinverters, can store up to 10 kWh of energy with an AC output of 7.08 kW. In comparison, the 5P series integrates up to six 240 V microinverters and stores up to 5 kWh of energy. It is rated for a continuous AC power of up to 3.84 kW.
According to the company, this latest technology will be available for IQ Battery 10C systems in the US, including Puerto Rico. However, it will support IQ Battery 5C across North America, some Central American countries, and the Caribbean.
